1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie slug Douglas. 4 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: Happy Valentine's Day. This is our special episode, my Slimmy 5 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: Valentine's a slug life, and indeed things are going to 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: get a little sexy in this episode for all your 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: listeners out there. And in fact, let's go ahead que 8 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: up a little little Verry White just to sort of 9 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: set the mood here, because you know, as humans, we 10 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 1: live in this world of human sexuality, and we have 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 1: all this baggage attached to it, all these thoughts about 12 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: what is what is appropriate, what is taboo, what is 13 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: a little risque? Uh? You know? And that music playing 14 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: in the background there by the way, that was a 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: little Verry White with can't get Enough of Your Love 16 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: Babe nine four classic or can't get enough of that 17 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: slug love Now you're yeah with the slugs. The slug 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: serves as an example of just how wild and diverse 19 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:14,559 Speaker 1: and to humanize hideous uh, sexual reproduction really is in 20 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: in in nature and and maybe how sanitized it is 21 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: in humans. I don't know. That's that's a value judgment. 22 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: I'll leave that for someone else to make. It shows 23 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: us how much human baggage we bring to the situation. 24 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: I'm going to tell you that some slug sex, in 25 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:32,399 Speaker 1: particular leopard slugs, and we'll talk more about them, kind 26 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:34,760 Speaker 1: of make human sex look a little milk toast, a 27 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: little vanilla. Yeah, I will. I will admit that as 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: repulsed by slugs as I am, like, I feel like 29 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 1: this deep in my James repulsion to them, not in 30 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: my blue jeans, but in my actual genetic material, Like 31 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: there's a deep like there in my ancestral enemy um 32 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: that that I am avoiding because I know they will 33 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: crush me. You think you have ancestral memories exactly of slugs. 34 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: As repulsed as I am, I have to admit that 35 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: there is some thing weirdly beautiful about it. If not beautiful, 36 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: then at least elaborate, Like it's it's elaborately grotesque. It's 37 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,720 Speaker 1: it's it's grotesque in a way that that that it 38 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: becomes almost art. All right, So before we start talking 39 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: about slug sex and all girding our loins for that, 40 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: let's talk about slug anatomy. Because most slugs are hermaphrodites, 41 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: they have both a penis and a genital opening, right, 42 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: so when they have sex they can both fertilize and 43 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,080 Speaker 1: are fertilized. It's important to remember too that your coming 44 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: slug it's ancestor had a had a shell. It is 45 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:39,679 Speaker 1: descended from shelled gastropods. So if your rear end is 46 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 1: in a shell, where do you think evolution has put 47 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: all of your important bits right up there at the head. 48 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 1: So it's from the head that the penis of a 49 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: of a slug protrudes right out the side like a 50 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: weird hat. Yes, and they yeah, I think about the 51 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 1: penus being over there too, is over there too, so 52 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: so there's that. And again yes, this is because they 53 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: are descended from snap the genital orifice, everything, the mouth, 54 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: everything has to be upfront, has to be front loaded, 55 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: because the rear is back there in the shell where 56 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: Dr Doolittle rides. If you are a fan of that 57 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: movie and really knowing all the stuff about snails makes 58 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: that even weirder. So keep that in mind when we're 59 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: talking about some of the configurations that these slugs make 60 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: when they are engaging in their reproductive efforts because again, 61 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: all the business is pretty much over there on the head. Yeah, 62 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: face to face sex, because that's where it's two faces 63 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: going at it. Alright, various ways as well, discuss let's 64 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: discuss one of the ways one of the strategies that 65 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: slugs approach reproduction. Yes, Now, it's important to to realize 66 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: that what we're talking about here sexual conflict between among 67 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: these creatures. And this is the idea that you have 68 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: individuals in a species and they are competing with other 69 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: individuals for mates. So they want to do whatever they 70 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: can to ensure that their genetic material passes on and 71 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: not the genetic material of rivals and other other individuals 72 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: that that their mate is mating with. So you see 73 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: various methods in various animals, whether the uses you see, 74 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: for instance, their sperm plugs, which you can you can 75 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 1: look up, which it's it's about. I've got mine in there, 76 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: so I'm just gonna sort of block it up so 77 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: that nothing else is gonna get in there too. You 78 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: see barbed penises in various creatures, especially in in in insects. 79 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: I've seen them referred to as torture pholusis if you 80 00:04:31,839 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: want to hear more about that. Check out our our 81 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: episode that we did on the penis and the evolution 82 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: of the penis. Um you. So you see a lot 83 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 1: of sexual competition evolution trying to to to game this 84 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: scenario so that the the the mating creature has the 85 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: advantage over all the other creatures that are mating with 86 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: its mate. I'm glad you cued that up because I 87 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: think that it's it's important to keep this in mind 88 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: when you think about um slugs in what seems sort 89 00:04:56,640 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: of rough dealings with reproduction and of cour without anthropomising them, 90 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: but um, we can't help to. But thinking of it 91 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: in that context, I think helps you to better understand why, 92 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: um it is maybe as dire seeming as it is, 93 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: or I mean, it's a it's a brutal game with 94 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: high stakes. The stakes are high. They couldn't be any 95 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: higher because ultimately, the genetic mission of this creature and 96 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,559 Speaker 1: any any creature is to pass his genes on. Yeah. 97 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: So let's look at the sea slug, all right. According 98 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 1: to I O nine author Robert T. Gonzalez, uh sex 99 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 1: is initiated when one slug uses a syringe like organ 100 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: to gore its partner and that's where the stabbing comes in. Yes, 101 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: and you you see the same activity in a number 102 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: of air breathing land snails and slugs as well, So 103 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 1: this is not particular to sea slugs, right, but in 104 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,799 Speaker 1: this particular instance, you've got that syringe like organ goring 105 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: its partner and injecting prostate fluid into its body. And 106 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: then they made a second time, this time with one 107 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: slug inserting its penis into the partner's genital opening that 108 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:02,800 Speaker 1: they made through the stopping. So these are two separate acts. Basically, 109 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: one is shanking and the other sexing. Yeah, I mean 110 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: the way I like to think of it is the 111 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:13,080 Speaker 1: the final knife fight in dune Um between Paul Trades 112 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: and Uh and the Harcone and kid played by a 113 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:18,840 Speaker 1: Sting in the movie you know there, it's this this 114 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: vicious fight when they have to counter each other's shields 115 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: with their slow moving daggers, and at least one of 116 00:06:25,720 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 1: the daggers this poison divider call. So it's that kind 117 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:30,920 Speaker 1: of situation. There's kind of a it's like they're they're 118 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: making love to each other, these snails, these slugs, but 119 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: they're also trying to stab each other. It's it's it's 120 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: often described by biologists is ultimately a joust sword fight 121 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: because whoever gets their loved dart, which is the term 122 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: that's often used for it, whoever gets their loved dart 123 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: into their mate, they're going to increase the odds that 124 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,799 Speaker 1: their sperm is going to be victorious inside of that mate. 125 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 1: That's right. And you know, it is said that most 126 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: slugs would probably perfer to be the shanker rather than 127 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: the shanky. Evolutionary biologist Rulanda Lang describes the penis thus lee. 128 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: The penis bears four to five large hook shaped spines 129 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: at its base in a crown of twenty to thirty 130 00:07:13,360 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: minute fine pointed spines at its tip, which are spread 131 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: like an anchor during mating. So there's still a question 132 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,040 Speaker 1: as to watch lugs will allow themselves to be penetrated 133 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: beyond the amount needed to get the stores of sperm. 134 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: Because this happens, right, they get the storm stores of 135 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: sperm that they need, but they still engage in is 136 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: what we think of as a very vicious act um 137 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,440 Speaker 1: and it doesn't really increase the reproductive fitness to do it, 138 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: but they still engage in it. So the idea is 139 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: that perhaps the injections of prostate fluid might include nutrients 140 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: that benefit the stab slug, So it's a bit of 141 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: a trade off there. Yeah. And there was this old 142 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: idea that the love dart was injecting calcium into the 143 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 1: mate and therefore making a giving it a gift kind 144 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: of a dowry, uh and staying here, here's some calcium 145 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: us this to create the eggs that we have created together. Um, 146 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 1: But I think they've kind of shied away from that, 147 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: going more in this hormonal direction that it's uh, it's 148 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: enabling this better chance of survival for the stabbers sperm again, 149 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:16,720 Speaker 1: reproductive fitness being the most important thing. And just as 150 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: the you described the penis and pretty horrific terms, uh, 151 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: the love darts, which are also called gypso bellums, Um, 152 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: they vary a great deal as well. You can find 153 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: images of these and they look like varying cruel harpoons, 154 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 1: and and they're made of different substances. Sometimes it's calcium carbonate, 155 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 1: sometimes it's cotton um, various shapes and sizes and uh, 156 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:46,199 Speaker 1: they can also vary between one and thirty millimeters in length. Um. 157 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:48,560 Speaker 1: Sometimes it's more of a just kind of a stab 158 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 1: in the side like a prison shiving. Sometimes the love 159 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: dart goes all the way through, uh, the the mated slug. 160 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:00,080 Speaker 1: It's um, it's it's pretty fascinating and um it. We 161 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,199 Speaker 1: call it a love dart in English, but in Germany 162 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:05,839 Speaker 1: they call it a leaves field or love arrow. And 163 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: there's some there's some people that that argue that the 164 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: idea of Cupid and his arrow is ultimately um inspired 165 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: by the love dart, even though the love dart again 166 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: is just a it's a stabbing, more of a lance 167 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: or a dagger in the side rather than anything that 168 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,199 Speaker 1: is actually a projectile. Yeah, and they do come in 169 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: in various shapes. Um. Some look like spears. I thought 170 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: one actually did look like a graboid as well. So 171 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: it sort of depends on this species most some have 172 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,080 Speaker 1: just one um dart sack. Some have more than one. Uh. 173 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 1: And then after they have used it takes a while 174 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:45,079 Speaker 1: to grow it back to re reload the gun as 175 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: it were. All right, um, let's take a quick break 176 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: and when we get back, we are going to talk 177 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: about the love lives of leopard flugs. And you really 178 00:09:54,520 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: don't want to miss this, Alright, We're back. Leopard slugs 179 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: um now the very white yeah kes the berry wide again. 180 00:10:08,559 --> 00:10:12,679 Speaker 1: The leopard slugs. They really make a show. They're they're 181 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:16,360 Speaker 1: really about putting on a show of their love for 182 00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: anyone who may be able to watch in stomach this nonsense. Yeah, alright, 183 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: imagine these leopard slugs. They're nocturnal. They're grayish yellow with 184 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: modeled black spots, hence the name leopard slugs. They measure 185 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: about four inches long. Uh. Let's say that they're cruising 186 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,640 Speaker 1: through the forest. They pick up a scent in another 187 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: slugs trail. They read the love poem and that that 188 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: slug slime. Yes, come on, I don't know, is that 189 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: very when? And so they follow it. They find this 190 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: other slug and they stalk each other in a circle, 191 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: again using their scent trails. And then they say, hey, 192 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: let's take this up to a more private area. They 193 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 1: go up a tree. They find a nice little tree branch, 194 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: and that's when thing start to get a little bit weird. 195 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: They begin to intertwine. It's quite beautiful. And as they 196 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:11,959 Speaker 1: are intertwining, they form a rope of mucus that comes 197 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: down start to slay like imagine this rope of mucus 198 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: extending from the branch, and then they continue intertwining together 199 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 1: and they're suspended like that for a little while in 200 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,600 Speaker 1: this gooey embrace. Now, then the penises come out. That's right, 201 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: as gonna say. If that's not the head, the side 202 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: of their head, their penises are basically emerging, and they 203 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 1: begin to glow blue. Yeah, and these are these are 204 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: large phouls is um comparatively um like for a human. 205 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,199 Speaker 1: It would be like a like a baby's arm coming 206 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,199 Speaker 1: out of the sides of your head, or no larger 207 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 1: than a baby's arn't like a like an eight year 208 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 1: old army. So now I'm asked to say, I'm a 209 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: little bit g right that you used that analogy, but 210 00:11:56,360 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: it's effective to give you some idea of scale. So 211 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: then these uh, these head placed penises begin to do 212 00:12:06,920 --> 00:12:11,079 Speaker 1: the same, execute the same intertwining configuration right this embrace, 213 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: and you see this glowing blue penises entwined and moving 214 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:21,720 Speaker 1: until they bloom into a pulsating blue flower like globe 215 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: that's translucent. Yes, it's really alien and oddly beautiful to behold. 216 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,640 Speaker 1: It's it's it's really weird. Now, the reason that they're 217 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:33,199 Speaker 1: doing this big light show, this big circus slay. Hey, 218 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:36,680 Speaker 1: look at us, you know, intertwined getting it on um 219 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: is that they're passing sperm to and fro and that um, 220 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:44,199 Speaker 1: that sort of flower configuration because again there hermaphrodites. They're 221 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: both male and female. And it's just amazing because I yea, 222 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,080 Speaker 1: this is this is the attempt to for alize each other. 223 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,840 Speaker 1: And it's amazing because it looks like this Toluly sculpture 224 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 1: rights class blown sculpture that's happening before your eyes. But 225 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,440 Speaker 1: my favorite part of this is that you have this 226 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: entirely intricate, beautiful, disgusting display of reproductive fitness, and then 227 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 1: there's just this unceremonious drop of one of them PLoP 228 00:13:15,120 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: onto the fourth floor, Like you would think that they 229 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:19,240 Speaker 1: would have come up with a more elegant way to 230 00:13:19,240 --> 00:13:23,360 Speaker 1: to end it. But it's quite it's quite a sight 231 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: to behold. If you wanted to seat yourself, check out 232 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: I O nine h Sex Life of Leopard Slugs. Yeah, 233 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:35,200 Speaker 1: I believe they're embedding a video created by Discovery and BBC. 234 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: Atinborough narrates it, narrates it, and I want Attenborough narrating 235 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: well anything in the natural world, but especially slugs doing 236 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: it because he's got that great wink wink, nudge nudge 237 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:48,240 Speaker 1: with his voice that he does. So imagine it applied 238 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: to this scene of beauty before you and I know 239 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: what you're thinking, Well, that's where it ends, right, maybe 240 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: this uh, and we're generalizing the entire vast buffet of 241 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: slug sex in this. But you begin with a little 242 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: gentle stabbing. Then you you go up into the trees 243 00:14:02,120 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: and you you intertwine, and you intertwined penises and create 244 00:14:05,800 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: a glowing flour and swap sperm and you think, well, 245 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 1: then then you're done. Right, not necessarily because in some 246 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: slugs you see something that we call apophylation, which is, uh, 247 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: maybe not as sexy as it sounds. This is when 248 00:14:22,080 --> 00:14:25,600 Speaker 1: one slug choose the other's penis off. Occasionally we'll shoo 249 00:14:25,640 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: its own penis off and swallow it. Yeah, that's auto apophylation, 250 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: auto appophilation. Yes, So what is all this sexual cannibalism? 251 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: What is it about? Right, because we've we've encountered we've 252 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 1: talked about sexual cannibalism before, where you have like the 253 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 1: female will eat the male or part of the male 254 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: following mating. Sometimes because Hey, the male was only there 255 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: to mate, and then once he's done, there's no sense 256 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: keeping him around. Might as well make a meal out 257 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,120 Speaker 1: of him, right, female or spiders right right? In this 258 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: case though, these are these are amaphrodites. So what's what's 259 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: going on here? Well, these these banana slugs in particular, 260 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,720 Speaker 1: of course called banana fligs because of their yellow color 261 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 1: and their occasional black spots. Uh, they're not entirely sure 262 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: why the chewing is going on, but let me just 263 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: kind of give you a little bit of information about 264 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:16,680 Speaker 1: these guys. Uh. They are the second largest slug in 265 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 1: the world, so imagine that. Imagine that when you start 266 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,520 Speaker 1: to talk about the slug penis, which is usually the 267 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: length of the slug itself. It is also the official 268 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:31,560 Speaker 1: mascot of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Really, really, 269 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,400 Speaker 1: they're the banana slugs. Oh God, I assume they don't 270 00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: have a sports program like this has to be just 271 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 1: like chess club or something. I don't well, but or 272 00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: the more mild school. I just can't imagine like a 273 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,000 Speaker 1: football mascot of the banana slug. I mean, it's better 274 00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:48,200 Speaker 1: than a dog, I guess, but I mean it would 275 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: inspire fear in the competitor, right, like I'm gonna chew 276 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 1: your penis off. Yeah, if they really want all out 277 00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: with it, I guess it would work. Yeah yeah, um okay. 278 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:01,440 Speaker 1: It's scientific name is dolly phallus, which means one penis. 279 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: So what we find when we look at slugs getting 280 00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 1: it on is that again they find each other via 281 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 1: the chemical traces in their slime trail. They make a 282 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:17,160 Speaker 1: bed of slime to cuddle on. Essentially, there's some head waving, 283 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 1: they get very close to each other, and then they 284 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: begin to actually, when I say they get close together, 285 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: they're in a gangyang configuration. Um. Then they began to 286 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: gently bite gentital openings of each other. So what happens 287 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 1: next is they their penises spring out from their heads 288 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 1: and they insert the penises and the nearby genital splits, 289 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: and then intercourse lasts for hours for hours, and then, 290 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 1: with their multiple pairs of teeth known as the radula, 291 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: sometimes one or both of the slugs gnaws the penis 292 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: off the other. This is the appiphiliation. So the idea 293 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: at first was that they were doing this because the 294 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: penis was getting stuck and I ran across that that 295 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:09,359 Speaker 1: theory that they were their intertwined is like, how do 296 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:11,040 Speaker 1: we get out of this? Well, we could bite through 297 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: these penises and then they do. But but the but 298 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:18,280 Speaker 1: what we're really getting down to ultimately is again sexual conflict, right, yes, 299 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,520 Speaker 1: because it's not about that, because actually what happens is 300 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 1: that the penis, when it is not erect, it's not 301 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 1: a problem for it to pull out. Okay, again, imagine this, 302 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,200 Speaker 1: This penis san is the length of the actual banana 303 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: slug itself. So, uh, they do think it has to 304 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: do with this idea of Okay, well, I'm gonna chew 305 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,880 Speaker 1: your penis off and I'm going to ensure that my 306 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: sperm from now on is the main deal out there. 307 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,200 Speaker 1: I'm going to remove you from the playing field. Yeah, 308 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: it's like, yeah, it's it comes down to sexual conflict 309 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 1: because every slug is both male and female. But then 310 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:53,719 Speaker 1: after the mating is done, Yeah, if you can, if 311 00:17:53,760 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: you can bite the penis off of the other slug, 312 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: then you have taken a male competitor off out of 313 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:03,200 Speaker 1: the out of the game, while leaving a perfectly functional 314 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: female slug out there for what you know, for for 315 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: public use. So it's it's pretty amazing stuff. Yeah. Now 316 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:15,880 Speaker 1: I saw one of the videos that had the uh, 317 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: the case of auto appiphiliation and uh, and this one 318 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: was a situation where the slug engaged in sex and 319 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 1: then they went off without chewing penises off, because sometimes 320 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: that happens, like sometimes there's no penis chewing off and 321 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,160 Speaker 1: when a when a penis is chewed off again, it's 322 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: still a perfectly functional female slug. So it really doesn't care. 323 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:36,480 Speaker 1: It's kind of like, all right, you got me, but 324 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:39,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go on carry out out my business now. 325 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:43,800 Speaker 1: But in this one example, they were looking at the 326 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,159 Speaker 1: the slug had survived, its penis was still intact, but 327 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: it had not retracted, and so the slug just turned 328 00:18:49,119 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: and bit it off and ate it down. So they 329 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: really weren't sure what to make of that. But maybe 330 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: there's something not functioning there. It decided, well, I'm not 331 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: just gonna walk around with this thing sticking the side 332 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,080 Speaker 1: of my head. I look kind of stupid. I better 333 00:19:02,119 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 1: eat it. Do you think slugs will could experience phantom 334 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: limb I get the impression they don't. I get the 335 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: impression there they don't really think that hard about it. 336 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,719 Speaker 1: You know that it's that it Ultimately it's like, uh, 337 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: you know you got me, all right, good on you 338 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: you ate my penis off. But but I'm still I'm 339 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 1: still a functional female slug. I'm was I'm a hermaphrodite 340 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,679 Speaker 1: for goodness sake. So that's right. They can still engage 341 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 1: in the act. Yeah, yeah, and do so all right, 342 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:38,439 Speaker 1: I mean, guys, happy Valentine's Day. Um, you know, maybe 343 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:41,359 Speaker 1: you're going to go to an intimate dinner with your 344 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,360 Speaker 1: loved one and what you will talk about. Maybe you're 345 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:46,840 Speaker 1: going to an anti Valentine's Day party, and this is 346 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 1: also what you'll talk about. Right, Yeah, if there's a 347 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:51,439 Speaker 1: computer there, look up some some YouTube clips of this 348 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 1: stuff and uh, and we'll try to include them on 349 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 1: the blog post that accompanies this, uh, this episode, so 350 00:19:56,720 --> 00:19:58,720 Speaker 1: you can cue them up and just just step back 351 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: and enjoy some some good times, you know, play them 352 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: very white in the background. Watch watch these slugs and 353 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,480 Speaker 1: snails stab each other with their their love darts. Watch 354 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 1: them make love on a tendril of slime. Watch them 355 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: eat each other's penises off to keep them from doing 356 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,600 Speaker 1: anything behind their back and cheating on them or not 357 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 1: that last part. You don't have to do that. No, no, no, 358 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 1: don't do it. I'm just saying you can watch it happen. No, 359 00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: that's what I mean. You don't know if you're not 360 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 1: into the penis chewing watching. Yes, yeah, and yes, but 361 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,760 Speaker 1: do not imitate any of this stuff except for maybe 362 00:20:30,760 --> 00:20:33,159 Speaker 1: the if you want to try doing it in slime 363 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: I think is lovely. Yes, really, but you're gonna have 364 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,359 Speaker 1: a hard time getting getting polymers that are going to 365 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,439 Speaker 1: be that sticky that you can suspend yourself from some 366 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,200 Speaker 1: of you working in the lab, though you might get 367 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: a source or two. Yeah. There. Slime has as we've 368 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 1: discussed in our last episode, slime has a number of purposes. 369 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: And if you want to know more about slime, do 370 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,800 Speaker 1: check out that episode trilogy of Slime and you'll learn 371 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,199 Speaker 1: all about the various properties. Because slime is ultimately it's 372 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: about it's about moving around, it's about look emotion, it's 373 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: about communication, it's about defense, it's about offense. It is 374 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:09,919 Speaker 1: it is about protecting an organism against parasites and pathogens. 375 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 1: It's really a remarkable substance and sometimes it is the 376 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:17,680 Speaker 1: backdrop for love, slugs for love and slugs. All right, well, 377 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,240 Speaker 1: I'm gonna, you know, read a quick bit of listener 378 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,920 Speaker 1: mail here if we'll call the uh the robot over 379 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:26,879 Speaker 1: all right. This one comes to us from Eric, and 380 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: this one's kind of suitable for a kind of a 381 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 1: sexy episode. Uh. This is a response to our Undercover 382 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,840 Speaker 1: Cops episode about what happens when we layer our lives 383 00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 1: and fiction and what that does to our perceptions of 384 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: self and reality. Eric says, I have a friend who 385 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:45,120 Speaker 1: is a female police officer who works undercover from time 386 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:48,400 Speaker 1: to time, primarily as a street prostitute. She gets very 387 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: into her role and it's quite convincing. She told me once, 388 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:53,879 Speaker 1: shortly after she started doing this work, a car with 389 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: a very familiar face stopped to talk to her. She 390 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: was horrified to realize it was her favorite teacher from 391 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: when she was in high school. She told me she 392 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: felt physically ill when she realized she was going to 393 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: have to bust him, likely destroying his career. She was 394 00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: relieved when he told her that she was way too 395 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,199 Speaker 1: smart to be doing this and begged her to let 396 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,159 Speaker 1: him help her. He even remembered she'd wanted to be 397 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,239 Speaker 1: a cop. When she realized he wanted to help her 398 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,480 Speaker 1: get off the streets uh cleaned up. She was happy 399 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:21,960 Speaker 1: to tell him that she was a cop working undercover. 400 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,520 Speaker 1: I don't think she has any trouble letting her prostitute 401 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,159 Speaker 1: self take over, as she only does this for a 402 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: few hours a month. She did tell me it's a 403 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:31,440 Speaker 1: lot of fun, but I think she is slightly crazy. Eric, 404 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 1: So there you go a little insight into the double 405 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: life of a of an undercover vice officer. It's always interesting, 406 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: as always an area that has fascinated me. I can't 407 00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:44,160 Speaker 1: imagine how you wouldn't be a little bit crazy from 408 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:45,760 Speaker 1: having that kind of job. I think all of this 409 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:50,679 Speaker 1: are various amounts of uh nuts and craziness, um, and 410 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,680 Speaker 1: that's what makes us human. But yeah, trying to keep 411 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:55,920 Speaker 1: that up day after day it would be very difficult night. Yeah, 412 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:57,360 Speaker 1: because it seems like you've got to be the type 413 00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: of crazy to where you can just turn it on 414 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: and off and it doesn't bother to you, or you've 415 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: got to be the kind of crazy where it does 416 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 1: kind of bother you a little because you've so become 417 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:08,040 Speaker 1: the role that you're taking on. So anyway, thanks Eric, 418 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: that was really interesting to hear about so if you 419 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:14,439 Speaker 1: if you have any time left in your Valentine's and 420 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: you want to talk to us online, want to want 421 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 1: to maybe a share with us how the how your 422 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,080 Speaker 1: Valentine's dinner went when you brought up the sex lacke 423 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,600 Speaker 1: of slugs uh. Then you can find us on Facebook 424 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: and tumbler. We are stuffed abow of your Mind on 425 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,040 Speaker 1: both of those, and we also have the Twitter feed 426 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,119 Speaker 1: Blow the Mind, and you can always drop us a 427 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: line at Blow of the Mind at discovery dot com 428 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: for more on this and thousands of other topics. Is 429 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 1: it how Stuff Works dot com